C
creaturemd
Guest
About six months ago, I started a 20 gallon planted freshwater tank complete with CO2 system and all the trimmings. I'm using a fluval canister filter and high output compact lighting. Someone suggested apistos to accomodate my low pH (due to the CO2 injection) and I checked into them. I was immediately hooked and since then I have spent literally hundreds of dollars on DEAD fish. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. The fish are always introduced in pairs and there has never been more than a single pair in the tank at any one time (the tank wouldn't accomodate more). I'm using RO water and kH is between 4 and 5 german degrees. pH is in the low sixes. All other water parameters test within normal limits. What is especially frustrating is that the fish always seem to be doing great! I even had one pair of cacatuoides spawn before they suddenly dropped dead. A couple of pairs have lasted as long as six weeks. They always eat voraciously and appear robust and healthy. They behave normally and display and posture to one another in manners typical of breeding behavior. I've tried several different species (cacatuoides, viejita, pandurini), and I'm offering a varied diet of live, frozen, and freeze-dried foods. In summary, these are not sick fish! They never have any external lesions or exhibit obvious signs of illness prior to their sudden death. They literally just drop dead. I come home in the evening or wake up in the morning to a dead fish that was fine and eating the night before. I just don't understand what could be going on. I've heard of other people keeping these guys in the local tap water which is hard and alkaline with no problems whatsoever. Please help! If anyone can enlighten me at all, I could really use some advice. Could this be parasitic? Bacterial? Maybe attributable to the live food? I'm ready to give up on these guys. After spending so many hours reading and researching them and trying to make my water perfect, it will literally make me sick to have to settle for common junk fish. Please, please, please.....I'm at my wits end. Thanks. :cry: